Unlikely Sentiments
by morning rush
Summary: For the light moments in between the drama. Chapter 4 Post Jinchuu. Kaoru ponders on where her relationship with a certain swordsman is headed.
1. Rain

This is just a little something I came up with on my home, one rainy afternoon. And yeah it was sort of based from a real experience (but it happened in a van and not a train).

Warning: just a little fluff during the first half of the story. For those who are looking for a little drama this fic is anything but that. So forgive me if I indulge myself on my girlish sentiments and nonsense. Just to warn you. This isn't my best fic but here it goes….

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters

xxx

** Unlikely sentiments**

Outside, the skies were grey and the rain was splashing to the ground with big fat drops. The wind harshly whipped the trees swaying them from side to side. The green of the countryside was hardly visible from the gray light afforded by the clouds. The train sped through the country on the railroad, fighting past the raging storm.

Inside four friends were cooped up in a room which afforded them the privacy of letting them indulge on a well-deserved sleep. Different melodies of snores: a short wheezing sound from a small boy and a rather loud rattling sound from a certain rooster echoed across the room. The only other sound was coming from the rain pounding hard on the roof and spilling down the windows. The gray light from the window which filtered across the room created the gloomy atmosphere.

But a certain girl was oblivious to her surroundings, to the loud snores of her companions seated across. She was far too attentive to her companion sitting on her right. Far too aware of their shoulders touching and of his even breathing.

She watched his bangs partially let loose from his ponytail, cover his eyes, as his head slowly tilted to the side.

Up. Down. Lower to his left side.

Getting nearer and nearer to _her _right shoulder.

Oh dear! She didn't know how to react. Should she sit still as frigid as in ice block? Should she lay her hand on his head to pull him closer, so that he can lean on her shoulder? But what will he think when he woke up and realize he was leaning on her? Maybe he would think she was taking advantage of the situation. Maybe she was… but she didn't need to be that obvious.

Ever so slowly his tilting head fell on her right shoulder. And she was all too aware of the warmth of his body. Of his unique smell, a masculine scent with just a hint of pine and ginger. She was aware of the rise and fall of his chest as he drifted off to dreamland.

The train took a sharp turn to the right, making the red head next to her lean on her a just a bit more. His mouth was near her neck, and she could feel the small puffs of his hot breath ghost along her skin. Kaoru can only blush, imagining what it would be like if he actually kissed her neck.

She stopped. Since when had she started wishing on not-so-innocent thoughts about Kenshin? He was a gentleman and he deserved better that that.

The train was jolted by a rough trail on the rail road. For a while, the snores of the ingrates seated across her stopped, their sleep seemingly interrupted by the tremors of the train. Kenshin took a deep breath, mumbled a few sleepy words and pulled back from Kaoru. He turned and opened his slightly sleepy eyes on her.

Kaoru's heart began to pound. _Oh my, what if he thinks I'm taking advantage of him? I would never be able to face him again. Well I could just pretend that he was just dreaming. Besides he only seems half awake. Please kami let him be half awake. Please?_

As it turned out, she was right. He closed his eyes again and leaned against the window pane this time, far away from her.

She heaved a sigh. Half relieved and half disappointed at the same time. It was over too soon. She missed his warmth already.

The small boy began snoring again. This time louder the ever. Sano was leaning against the boy. The much taller man leaning on someone else so much smaller than him created a rather amusing picture. He'll get a stiff neck that way.

_Serves him right!_ Kaoru thought, _that's what he gets for secretly spiking my drink during the farewell party last night._

She sighed. _At least they're still asleep, _Kaoru mused. Maybe she can continue stealing glances at Kenshin's peaceful sleeping face.

_He's so handsome… and his nose… I can't believe I haven't noticed it before… But he has a rather straight nose. _Kaoru could not help but smile. She continued watching him. And she can't help but admire his very fine features. She also noticed something. _He is graceful even in sleep_.

She wondered how he can still retain that elegant pose. He was asleep while leaning against the window and yet his mouth isn't hanging open. She had seen lots of people with hanging mouths while sleeping in a sitting position. She only needed to look across her to prove her theory. Those two boys are certainly catching flies in their mouths that way. Yahiko was starting to drool in his sleep. Eeeww…

And besides she was guilty of this theory, Sano made sure to tease her about it.

_How can his mouth defy gravity like that?_ Wasn't it some kind of rule that sleeping in an upright position causes the mouth to hang open? _Why wasn't he snoring?_ He's almost thirty, being old means being entitled to snore, wasn't it? Yet this proves to be another one of Kenshin's many, many talents.

Kaoru took her gaze away from Kenshin and started to look at the two boys across from her. She suddenly felt sentimental. Here she was traveling with her adopted family. They came from seemingly different backgrounds and they are all so stubborn and short-tempered (maybe except Kenshin). And yet here they were, traveling together. Doing things together.

They were all so natural… together.

She couldn't be more thankful enough to Kami. She used to be so alone, and now she had friends, and they are all sleeping so peacefully. Yep, they are her boys. She suddenly felt a pride, one she hadn't felt since deciding to start practicing martial arts. She felt proud for being a part of something; of a group that she knew would always be there to protect her, just as she in turn would protect them.

Her eyes suddenly felt warm, and she couldn't help grinning as she wiped away the tears forming from the corner of her eyes. Because she was happy, finally happy after such a long time.

So caught up was Kaoru with her emotions that she didn't realize that one of her "boys" was awake.

Sano was looking at her, and suddenly they were staring at each other. She raised an eyebrow, and he smirked.

"I didn't know you are capable of being a girl sometimes Missy." He drawled.

"What are you talking about?" She whispered back not wanting to wake either Kenshin or Yahiko. She was too emotional at the moment, she wanted to have some privacy to let her emotions rein free.

"Besides the fact that you are crying like a raccoon, I've been awake for sometime and saw you ogling over you-know-who." Tilting his head pointing towards Kenshin's direction. And with that he shot her a triumphant smile. As if challenging her to deny what he just said.

"Wha-?! I did not- you didn't! I uhm, I was just…" She knew she was babbling and she couldn't think of anything to say. "I was just watching over the window, it's raining pretty hard. You know… Yeah!" She said a little awkwardly, trying desperately to defend herself.

She's going to deny what Sano has implied until she was blue. Even though she was caught. Big time!

"Haha you make such a poor liar! Oh well if you say so…" A glint of amusement in his eyes, told her he was not entirely convinced.

_The jackass!_ Kaoru thought. "Don't be loud they are still asleep" She whispered back. She hmphed, crossed her arms and turned her face away. Pretending that she didn't care, if Sano knew the truth.

Sano only smirked. Convinced as he was that a certain red head is not that deep into sleep. He mused. _Maybe I should pull that stunt on Megumi. Hehe. Kenshin you're an idiot but you sure are brilliant sometimes. Ouch! My neck feels stiff. Oh well, all the more reason to visit a certain fox._

And for a short while, Sano was trying to massage his neck. He did a little exercise.

_Slightly face left, hold still count 20 seconds. Take deep breaths. _

_Slightly face right, hold still, count 20 seconds. Take deep breaths…_

Kaoru was looking at him with a questioning look. She started to giggle silently over how stupid Sano looked.

"What?" He yelled annoyed. Suddenly he had an idea, "Stop laughing or I will tell….." He whispered in a sing-song voice, warningly. She stopped giggling.

Kaoru clenched her fists, trying to control her temper. She seriously considered giving him a whack in the head. But she didn't want to wake Kenshin from his slumber. So she kept her thoughts to herself. As Sano continued his exercise in a fruitless attempt to cure his stiff neck, Kaoru continued glaring at him. When they were interrupted by a slight giggling…

"Aw please… stop….Tsubame….too much… Tsubame… that tickles…" Yahiko mumbled incoherently during his sleep. A smile etched on his dreamy face.

Kaoru and Sano stopped, looked at the slumbering Yahiko, and burst out laughing trying to stifle their noises as best they could.

Sano's stiff neck worsened in pain as he laughed. His hand immediately shot to his neck trying to massage the area. Kaoru laughed all the more, covering her mouth to prevent from waking Kenshin, but to no avail.

"Ouch. Sheesh this hurts!" attempting to move slightly "Ow!" Sano winced in pain. His head was stuck facing to the right and he couldn't move, because doing so increased the pain.

With the exception of Yahiko's snores and mumbling, Sano's howls of pain and Kaoru's suppressed laughter, the usual "silence" continued throughout the rest of the journey.

xxx

And in the corner, a certain someone could only listen to the slight usual bantering. Aware of the events that transpired. With eyes still closed, and ears sensitive to each sound, he forced to hold back a smile.

Pretending to sleep did have its perks.

xxx

Finished at last. I started this story two weeks ago, and I have only finished it now. I know right? It was just a short one. I honestly didn't know how to end it and had doubts whether I should continue but I don't like leaving things unfinished. So here it is, it's not my best, but at least it's finished. I know this isn't much of a plot. Anyways tell me what you think. I actually didn't mention a specific timeframe, so it would be up to you to conclude which era this was in.

ACK! I know this fic isn't any good! Confusing? Boring? Corny? Sappy? Not a good read? Tell me what you think, so I can save myself from future embarrassment. Until then!

I would also like to thank all of those who reviewed my first story especially Flaming Amber and Abubi-chan who gave such wonderful constructive criticism. I originally intended To Let Go to be a long shot, however, I am not confident about my writing skills so I shortened it. I'm actually considering making a series of prequel one-shots about it. What do you think?


	2. Afternoon

I wrote this to keep things light… I got a few good responses from the first chapter so I hope that this one is not too bad.

**A little warning though, this is just another random idea and is totally not connected to the first chapter and whatsoever.**

**RK is owned by the master genius Watsuki, and not by me.**

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Over the remaining glow of the orange sunlight, a certain someone observed the couple in front of him walking hand in hand. He was lagging behind them, and the road offered only for two to walk together, making it awkward for a third person to join in. He certainly felt like the third person. The couple looked so natural together, he with his red hair catching the afternoon rays and she with the blue eyes dancing in delight, seemingly interested in whatever the red head was saying.

He motioned for her to lean closer, and when she did, he whispered something in her ear, which made her laugh out loud in amusement. The third person frowned. _Were they talking about him_? The red head looked over his shoulder to glare at the third person with a menacing look on his face. The third person merely smiled apologetically, and the red head proceeded to hold her hand more tightly, refusing to let go as they continued walking on.

So, the red haired short guy was still mad at him. It had started out as a nice day, the weather was in total agreement with their plans, and the birds chirped noisily amongst the trees. They were all having a picnic by the lake with Yahiko and Tsubame and eating all of the wonderful tofu and maki sent by Tae. Sometime during lunch apparently, he made the mistake of holding her hand in front of the red head, which turned into an unpleasant situation when the red head threateningly challenged to fight him with his sword. The blue-eyed woman, amused with the red head's jealousy streak tried to warn him before the real commotion began. When he made a move to an attack position, she was alarmed by the fierceness in his eyes slowly turning into amber and told him to stop. Thankfully, he did. She had only been the one to calm his angry mood.

Always.

The third person sighed, he never knew that the red haired short guy had an apparently possessive streak when it came to **her**. Earlier, he had apologized profusely to the shorter guy (which she said was absolutely not necessary), and offered to walk them home with him carrying all of their picnic stuff.

Now seeing them walk together hand in hand he could not help but feel jealous over the bond that they had. For the first time since being a part of this family, he wished that **she** wasn't there to distract the short guy's attention.

He was so jealous of her.

But she didn't need to know. She would probably feel betrayed by these feelings he had been secretly harboring for a long time. Besides, he cannot really force himself on the situation. It had always been her, no matter how much he tried.

He sighed again, rather loudly. He hoped there was something he could do to tame his jealousy.

--

--

After an unpleasant and quiet dinner, he retired to his room contemplating on what had happened in the lake. He was facing the moon and was slightly disturbed from his thoughts when he heard his shoji slid open, and a warm body settle against his. She wrapped her arms against his frame and started on nuzzling his neck. He was not in the mood for this.

"Kaoru, now is not the time."

He could feel her smile against his nape, her hot breath against his cool skin. She whispered.

"Why not he's already asleep. Besides I need you…" She started kissing his neck yet again but was stopped by his hand.

"He's only a few rooms away. He might wake"

"When has that ever stopped us?"

"I'm sorry but I'm tired and not in the mood."

She sat up and frowned at the man before him. He never refused her. Never. She turned thoughtful before asking him, "Are you still upset by what happened in the picnic?"

He sighed. "Yes."

"Just forget it, he'll get over it. Besides you were gone for a long time… I missed you…" She leaned towards him again and started to kiss him on the mouth, her hands slowly finding its way to find the warm skin underneath of his yukata. Her hands were tracing little patterns on his chest that clouded his judgment and he fought his need by pulling her away.

She growled. She was getting really impatient this time.

"What is your problem?"

"Shush you'll wake him up!" He exasperated trying to control the ring in his voice.

"When has that stopped us, even with him just nearby?" He only shrugged. He didn't want to wake the guy in the other room.

"Who is she?" She asked obviously hurt and suddenly unsure.

"Who is who?"

"Who is the woman you met over there? Are you in love with her?"

He swallowed, he never thought that she would think that way. "O-of course not-"

"Then why are you refusing me?" Hurt was apparent in her voice.

He calmed her by holding her close. How will explain this? That he was jealous of her?

"I just don't want to bother you with my thoughts, that's all…"

"What thoughts are those exactly?" She turned to look at him in the eye. He fidgeted under her fierce stare and tried to pull away but she wouldn't budge, waiting for an honest answer.

"I'm jealous."

"You're jealous of him?"

He turned and refused to look at her in the eye. Kaoru sensed the fact that he was embarrassed so she tried to not laugh. She wrapped him in an embrace.

"Do not worry about that, I love you, you know that. I love the both of you."

"Ano… Well that's not the problem."

Confused, she turned to look at him, "Then what is?"

"I'm jealous of you."

"You're WHAT?" Surprise apparent in her voice.

"I said I'm jealous of you."

"Why?"

"Because he loves you, only you."

She stopped and stared at him, and when she realized he was serious she turned to laugh at him.

"There is no need to laugh you know."

She realized that she must have hurt his feelings that's why she stopped and faced him again.

"Why are you jealous? Tell me." She urged.

"Well, didn't you notice that he only has eyes for you? He doesn't even want to be near me when you are near."

"Boys are usually more drawn towards the opposite sex." She stated in a matter-of-fact voice trying to tease him. Of course she knew how much he cared about the red haired short guy.

"Kaoru, you're making fun of my feelings aren't you?"

"Of course not." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in a sweet kiss before pulling out and saying, "He'll come around, just be patient with him."

"I know that, it's just that no matter what I do, he seems so irritated with me."

"What about this, why don't the two of you have a lunch date tomorrow at the Akebeko, so you can spend some time alone with him?"

He sighed. It certainly seemed like a good idea.

When she realized that he had finally calmed down, she started to kiss him again more ardently before he went off having second thoughts again. This time, he responded with kisses of his own, determined to make it up to her. He laid her out on the futon, hugging her close. For tonight, she deserved his outmost attention. Well tomorrow... was another thing.

Besides, winning Himura Kenji's affection deserves a whole lot of planning.

--

AN:

Okay, so it may have turned out to be more predictable than I have imagined. Not my best, but I just had to get it out. My first time doing a family shot anyway and hopefully it's not too sappy either. I'm making Kenji a mama's boy in here (don't worry he challenged Kenshin with a bokken, hehe)

We all know that Kenji isn't particularly fond of Kenshin (based on the manga)… and well I just wanted to confuse you people for awhile even for just during the first few paragraphs… dunno if I succeeded or failed though. Tell me what you think, if it totally sucked then I'll just delete this chapter. Promise =D

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	3. Myths

I sadly don't own RK. I also don't own the myth from which this story was based.

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Helpful Terms:

Pullus – Latin term for rooster

Lupus – Latin term for wolf.

" " – dialogue

'italicized' – thoughts

italicized –story-telling

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Kindly read AN after the story below.

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_A very long time ago, back when kings fought for power and feuded over lands and gold, there was a great kingdom in the North called Pullus. This kingdom was built on top of a hill, surrounded by two huge and majestic green mountains. Pullus is known for the majestic structure of its castle: dark slabs of stones covered its impenetrable walls. Rumors circulated that at the top of the its tallest tower, lay a hidden treasure, a diamond so astonishingly humungous it was forged into the king's throne. But behind the majestic stories of the kingdom was a secret – the people of the Pullus are overweight and sleepy…_

--

"Why would the townspeople be overweight when they live in such a majestic palace?" Asked a curious red-head six year old.

"I'm getting to that part, so shut up and listen to my story."

Although doubt formed in his curious head, he still wanted to know everything so he simply said, "Okay."

"As I was saying…"

_--_

_Old people say that the physical predicament of the Pullus people was because of one important flaw: the kingdom's cold weather. They say that thick clouds of vapor surrounded the kingdom early in the day and late into the night, because Pullus is a cold mountain fortress. Thus, the people tried to cope with the cold by drinking more wine to warm their bodies. While they drank wine, they also ate lots of food which eventually led them to become more sleepy than the usual. Because of their unhealthy lifestyle, the people became obese and lazy. _

--

"But why would they eat, drink and sleep, when they could just chop some wood and burn them so they can warm up?" Came another question.

The story-teller, seemed to think. '_Why, indeed? Shit! The story is beginning to sound less convincing than I thought. I hate fairy tales!'_

"Listen kid, either you shut up or I won't continue the story."

"Okay…"

He sighed, "As I was saying…"

--

_The secret of the Pullus was spread to its neighboring rival kingdom, Lupus. The Lupus king was an arrogant bastard whose eyes were a frightening yellow and his face bore a great resemblance to a cockroach._

--

"The Lupus king was that scary and ugly?"

"Errr." '_I actually invented that part because I couldn't help myself…'_ "Yes Kenji-chan, he was a big bad wolf."

"A WOLF KING?" His bright, blue eyes were suddenly huge, and his expression amazed.

"No, a king! I meant king! A big, bad king."

"Oh..." Kenji, was disappointed and he seemed to contemplate for a while before saying, "Okay… what happened next?"

"As I was saying…"

_--_

_The king, seeing that the Pullusians (Pullus folks) were at a distinct disadvantage because of the physical unfitness; he decided to plan an all-out attack on the mountain castle. Lupus king thought it was a brilliant idea to attack during the dawn before the Pullusians were wide awake and alert. _

_Learning of the Lupus' planned attack, the Pullus king asked everybody's help to save the kingdom; soldiers, merchants, artists and farmers alike were alerted and given initial military preparations. However, with only a few days left of preparation, they couldn't become physically fit just in time for the war. Their obesity became their hindrance to counter any attack from the Lupus' fit and healthy soldiers. During the dawn of the intended attack, the Pullusian were fast asleep. Their night before was extremely cold, and the people including the king couldn't help but eat a heavy supper and sleep heavily._

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"They probably deserved to be attacked! The Pullus people are very lazy people."

"They are not lazy! They can't help but be that way because of the nature of their kingdom!" The story-teller argued, defending the lazy, err Pullus people.

"Yeah right. Aunt Megumi says that there isn't a more annoying bunch of people than lazy, unproductive people."

'_She… she said that? Oh no!'_ He slapped his hand on his forehead – hard, and he groaned inwardly at the thought of his predicament. '_I would have to find a real job soon!'_

With all these thoughts, he can only say a weak proposition to the kid. "Do you want to know the ending or not?"

The red-head only nodded.

He sighed more heavily than the usual, "As I was saying…"

_--_

_Old people say that soon, the enemies were inside the kingdom, ever ready and poised to strike the first fatal blow to the townspeople. Suddenly and unexpectedly, loud crowing noises echoed through the dark kingdom, waking up each and every Pullusian, making them alert. _

_It was the roosters of the Pullus!_

_They were all crowing loudly and simultaneously, their crows reaching far beyond the safety of the two mountains._

_Such noises scared the Lupus soldiers. They were so scared and dumbstruck at what was going on. Some soldiers thought the crowing came from the Pullus' secret weapons, while others thought it was the warning from the gods! The generals thought ambush teams were hiding in the dark, and that the crowing was a signal for the ambush. Legends say that the enemies were so scared, they run off like chicken shit – pardon the word – the cowards that they are. _

_Pullus has won the war!_

_So great was the Pullusian's joy and gratitude that they celebrated by eating and drinking not long after the attack._

_Meanwhile, the king of Pullus never forgot the help of the roosters. In gratitude he rewarded the animals by putting a crown on every rooster's head._

--

"And that dear Kenji boy, is the reason why roosters have crowns." Sanosuke finished his story emphatically and dramatically, hoping to enamor the boy's delight.

He heard of that story during his years of travel somewhere in southern Asia, and he thought it would be a good fairy tale to tell.

However, Kenji only stared at him for a few moments, and he didn't exactly look thrilled or impressed. Kenji, the poor boy, looked confused more than impressed. He suddenly pointed a tiny, chubby finger towards Sano's head and protested innocently,

"But your hair does not look like a crown at all."

Sanosuke's eye twitched, it will be a looooong night before he can put Kenji to sleep.

--

--

When the couple returned from their anniversary date at the Akabeko, they were greeted by the sight of an arguing Kenji and Sanosuke. In the midst of the two's insane shouting match, they caught a few words.

Rooster. King. Hero. Stupid. Hair.

The couple chuckled and thought: Sanosuke would make a great father someday, just not to the likes of kids like Kenji.

--

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A/N:

_This was based on a Philippine myth on why roosters have crowns. I hope this piece was amusing for you. The moral of the story was this: There is significance of being warned as a preventive measure against any problem. (I personally don't believe that you can always catch the warnings but hey, that was based on the myth.)_

I don't degrade the Philippine folklore by saying it's stupid in the fic. I used the stupid term, from the context in which Sano used it. Anyway, the myth was intended to be a humorous take on why roosters crow during the dawn.

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I've been gone for a long time and this was the only thing I can come up with? I'm sorry folks for the nonsense (but this story won't leave my head!) I'm always nervous about posting humorous stories because I'm not good at them. I need your help guys to convince me to stop making this kind of nonsense, especially if they suck. (And that is a shameless plea for a review). Hey I just need to know if I'm corny that's all. I promise for a KK sweet chapter the next time.


	4. Walk

Slightly angsty and cheesy.

Warnings: I do not own RK and its characters. Major fluff ahead. It's sappy. You've been warned.

A Walk

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It had seemed like the most natural thing. Yet when it did happen, there was still an unmistakable element of surprise that overtook her very being.

The breeze blew gently over their still forms and time seemed to stop. There was no sound, no trees, no grave and no wind. For her nothing seemed to exist, except him.

He with his kind eyes and his hand outstretched to her.

How can such a simple gesture offer so many meanings all at once? Was it an invitation, a welcome, a comforting strength to lean on… and perhaps a new beginning?

Finally releasing a smile, she took his offered bandaged hand and stood up. And together they walked the grassy path away from Tomoe's grave.

Kaoru was feeling too many things all at once. The fact that he was holding her hand was enough to make her heart cadence to the rhythm of a drum. Never mind that she could scarcely feel his skin through the thick covering of his bandages. His arms and body still bruised and wounded from his last battle with Enishi. Despite the physical obstruction, she could still feel the heat from his hands travel within her, providing her warmth despite the slightly chilly weather.

As she turned sideways to glance at her companion, Kaoru could not help but recall the words he had just said, supposedly intended for his beloved wife long dead…

_Thank you_

_I'm sorry_

_Goodbye…_

It was the last word that confused her. What did Kenshin's 'goodbye' mean? Was it a temporary farewell? One with a promise that Kenshin will be coming back to visit Tomoe's grave maybe when he has fully recovered or during her death's anniversary. Or was it the 'goodbye' that she hoped for? The kind of goodbye that her heart desires, that Kenshin is ready to move on with life or maybe a new love.

Kaoru knew that Tomoe will always hold that special place in Kenshin's life. An esteemed position no one, not even Kaoru, can ever take away from Kenshin. And thinking about it, Kaoru didn't want Kenshin to forget Tomoe. After all, Tomoe had been the very reason for Kenshin's way of life, that the sword can be used to protect people's lives, the people he loved and cared about, to atone for his past mistakes. Tomoe had given him that second chance.

Her companion seemed to have sensed her thoughtfulness, for he suddenly stopped walking beside her. Kaoru would not have noticed but when he halted, the hand still firmly wrapped around her fingers made her stop. Turning around in confusion, she looked at him in question and was surprised to see him smiling at her.

A genuine smile, one that reached his eyes.

And a smile, it seemed reserved only for her.

Kenshin rubbed his thumb on top of hers, their hands still held. And Kaoru felt herself shiver, succumbing to the emotions that the mildly sensual touch evoked. He had never touched her in such a suggestive way before. It was an unfamiliar but welcome feeling. One she could get used to.

He moved closer to her, his hand left hers and came up slowly to brush the hair away from her face. Standing this close to Kenshin, Kaoru could feel his warm ghost of breath on her face. She could smell him and feel him. Unafraid, she looked up to meet his eyes. And all she could see was her reflection, tenderness and dare she say it? Something akin to love.

It need not be said. Yet he still spoke.

"Kaoru…"

"Hn?" Robbed of the ability to say something intelligible, Kaoru could only look at him, her mind wandering on his hand placed on her left cheek. So lost in the sensations, she did not notice the lack of the –dono he usually addressed her with.

"I want..." He seemed to hesitate, but something in her eyes made him continue. "… To thank you."

_What? _She thought. _He didn't say I love you? _Maybe she misheard but then he continued.

"I want to thank you… for coming here with me to visit Tomoe."

Oh. That.

Foolishly she thought he would be say something more. The moment could not have been more perfect. It was the part where he was going to confess his love, and she was going to accept his proposal. The moment when Kaoru would throw her arms around his neck while they shared in a sweet, longing kiss. Looking down at her toes, suddenly she was overcome with embarrassment at her thoughts.

"Sure… I wanted to be here too."

Turning sideways to avoid his gaze, she intended to walk ahead. The main road was not far ahead, and she wanted to be in a place full of people where hopefully she would not be distracted by such thoughts of Kenshin. He didn't budge though, and she realized he didn't intend to let her go yet.

She forced herself to look up into his eyes once again. She waited, for Kenshin seemed keen on saying something else.

"I've missed you."

Eyes widening at the unexpected declaration, she was left speechless. It was almost as good as the declaration she was waiting for. Maybe even better. It meant so much more, because he had said it not far from Tomoe's grave.

Kaoru then realized the importance of her being there. Kenshin brought her here, because he wanted Kaoru to meet Tomoe. In bringing Kaoru to Tomoe's grave, Kenshin was allowing Kaoru into his life, with no more secrets of his past. Kaoru felt good knowing that Kenshin held her in such a highly esteemed position and she suddenly felt honored for having been the only other person bestowed of such trust.

Kenshin seemed to have realized that she wasn't going to say something else. He leaned forward and dropped a kiss… to the corner of her forehead.

This time, she wasn't disappointed. When their eyes met again, she smiled. They held hands and began to walk towards the main road.

Maybe, it wasn't the time to reveal of such feelings yet. She wasn't a fool to think that Kenshin only saw her as a friend. His eyes told her more than that. And his actions the past few days, not to mention his reaction to Enishi's Jinchuu, had told her more than she needed to know.

Kaoru held Kenshin's heart. And it was all that mattered. The intense declarations of love can wait… for just a little bit longer.

--

A/N:

I haven't written in ages! I'm not sure how I did in this chapter. I'm not used to writing sappy scenes, I hope you could comment on that. I'm sorry for posting something that feels unpolished, so if something feels off, I would still like to know your opinion.

It's just a tiny break from all the other angsty stories I've been writing. I'm actually working on a collection of drabbles set in AU as well as the third chapter for A Hint of Finality. Please review!


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